Jessica Sanchez Talks ‘Glee’ + New Album

In the months since concluding her stint on the show, former 'American Idol' runner-up Jessica Sanchez has had to patiently wait for her turn at the spotlight while winner Phillip Phillips saw his career take off -- but with her debut album around the corner and a 'Glee' appearance in the works, she's ready for her time to shine.

Sanchez spoke with Billboard about the buildup to the release of her new record, 'Me, You & the Music,' due April 30, starting with her recent return to the 'Idol' stage to perform the album's leadoff single, 'Tonight' -- and show off some new dance moves. "Right after 'Idol,' I was like, ‘I've got to become a totally different person. I gotta upgrade myself," she explained. "I can't just stand there and be all shy and sing."

Describing her new music's sound as "very urban/R&B" and hinting that she might be doing some vocals in Spanish, Sanchez insisted she had actual artistic input on the record, in spite of not writing any of the material. "They came to me with songs and I was able to choose which songs I like. If I didn't like something about them, they would take things and tweak them," she pointed out. "I had a lot of input -- It wasn't like, 'Here's this song, just sing it.'"

She'll definitely be singing on the upcoming episodes of 'Glee' she's set to tape soon. "I’m excited because I've never acted before," Sanchez said of her planned two-episode stint. “It's going to be the finale and I guess I'm playing a student from a rival school who was supposed to be a legendary diva powerhouse singer. So more ballads."